Darlington seal the surprise signing of ex-Gateshead, Peterborough, Hull, Charlton, Bolton player Marcus Maddison, announced on Wednesday.
Maddison started his career at Newcastle, but didn’t play a senior game for the club.
He was signed by Blyth Spartans and St Johnstone, before netting 13 Conference Premier goals for Gateshead in a 12-month period from August 2013.
He was signed by Peterborough for an undisclosed fee in August 2014. The same year, he was also capped by England C.
After a brief loan spell at Hull City in 2020, Maddison headed for Charlton Athletic on a free transfer, but struggled to make consistent appearances and was loaned out to Bolton in 2021.
After his loan was cut short in April 2021, Maddison announced his decision to quit professional football after expressing his diminished enjoyment in the sport, along with the negative effect his career was having on his wellbeing. He subsequently joined eighth tier side Spalding United.
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Darlington have today signed attacking midfielder Marcus Maddison, subject to FA and National League approval.
A huge welcome to the club Marcusβͺβ«#WeAreDarlo
β Darlington FC (@Official_Darlo) June 29, 2022
CLUB STATEMENT:
Darlington have today signed attacking midfielder Marcus Maddison, subject to FA and National League approval.
Durham born Marcus, 28, started his career at Newcastle United, and after he was released by the Magpies joined Gateshead in August 2013.
He was a big hit at the International Stadium, scoring 14 times in 38 matches before he was transferred for a six figure sum to Peterborough United in August 2014.
He became a regular at London Road over the next six seasons, and scored 62 goals in 249 appearances. One of his goals in season 2017-18 was voted Peterboroughβs Goal of the Season. He was also nominated for the EFL League One player of the season in the same season.
After leaving Peterborough, he played for Hull City, Charlton and Bolton Wanderers, before quitting the professional game and playing part time for Spalding this season.
Marcus spoke to the official website before his first training session with the club on Tuesday night — you can watch his interview below:
Interviewer: Marcus, welcome to Darlington, you’ve raised a few eyebrows come along and sign up for us because it’s not so long since you were in the full-time program.
Marcus: Yeah I know I think it’s been like two, years since I was at Bolton and last in League Two and then Charlton in League One six months before that and then Championship literally the year before that so yeah it’s strange but this was the club I wanted to come to definitely
Interviewer: Had you had enough of the pro game you decided to drop out of it
Marcus: um I think it’s a tough one obviously things didn’t go well at Bolton and headspace I just wasn’t in the right way to play football anymore so I think taking this year out getting my injury and things like that has made a huge difference to me mentally I know what I want now and where I want to be I want to be I want to be up north i want to enjoy myself and I’ve got six – seven good years left in football so I’m gonna use them.
Interviewer: So your year off has helped you rediscover your enthusiasm for the game instead of turning you back on it you’re going to embrace it again
Marcus: Yeah 100% like I say, training day in day out year after year never actually winning anything was very frustrating but I think the year out has made me realize that football is all I know it’s all I’m good at and it’s what I want to do
Interviewer: I took the trouble to have a look at some of your background at Peterborough you were there for six years you were nominated once to be in the League One team of the season. You scored some cracking goals one in particular against shoes but you must have had some great times though
Marcus: Individually yes like I said um I had some good performances I won player of the month goal of the month things like that but there was always something missing that I never won a trophy as a team and that has always bugged me that I’ve never actually been promoted I’ve never won anything as a group so definitely coming here that is definitely my goal.
Interviewer: You missed out on promotion very marginally at Peterborough, I think it was 2017 season
Marcus: I think it was most years most years we were in the top six for the majority of the season and for some reason or another we we didn’t make it and it was so frustrating having to build yourself back up and go again and year after year I did that but eventually it just became a bit too much
Interviewer: And eventually you turned you’re back on the pro game I think after your loan spell at Bolton
Marcus: Like I said my loan spell at Bolton, it just didn’t go well and I think that was the final this isn’t for me but like I said this year out has made me realize how much I do actually miss it
Interviewer: How fit are you then if you haven’t been playing regularly. i know you played for Spalding last season, you played a few games not all the way through but how fit are you know
Marcus: I’d like to say since my operation about five months ago I’ve been in the gym been running doing everything I can basically every single day I knew this was my opportunity in the summer to find a club and get back to where I wanted to be so I didn’t have a job to go to so i’d be in the gym most days and yeah i think I’ve come a long way
Interviewer: So was it a case of moving back to your roots in the northeast and trying to find a club
Marcus: I think I’ve always I’ve always loved the north even when I lived down south, I found the northern nicer people more welcoming they don’t take life as seriously I think they enjoy themselves a bit more so yeah I’ve always said when things were done I wanted to come back up north
Interviewer: I had to look at one or two interviews that you don’t know one of them was about your nutrition the day before a game it’s uh you think nothing are going out for a tikka masala we’ve got a physio who likes kentucky fried chicken so you two might get on well I think
Marcus: I think as I’ve got older and I realize that diet is a little bit more important as you’re younger you can eat what you want train how you want but I just smell food and put on weight now so I kind of have to look after myself a bit more
Interviewer: So now you approached Armstrong thinking about joining us
Marcus: It’s a very unconventional way to join a football club basically I was thinking obviously I want to come up north I then had to go on my phone have a look at the teams that I potentially and I messaged Darlington on Instagram basically sending me my number saying I’d be interested and I got a call the next day and literally as soon as we spoke this is where I wanted to be
Interviewer: You had a good chat didn’t you with Alan about the prospects for the club
Marcus: Yeah like I said he’s explained to me how how he wants to make things work and what he wants from me so hopefully I can come in and do that
Interviewer: What’s your goal now for the season obviously to get yourself back to match fitness but after that create a few goals score a few
Marcus: I think me personally as a winger or attacking player if you haven’t scored or assisted in the game you haven’t done your job I think in 250 appearances I got 170 goal contributions or something like that so yeah that’s mainly what I want to come in and do I want to score goals I want to entertain I want to assist and I just want to win that’s the biggest thing
Interviewer: Yeah you’re itching to get going aren’t you we’ve had a brief chat off camera and you know you struck me as blimey you want to get going here
Marcus: Yeah like I said I’ve had a year out from doing what I love when I get back to it and hear the crowd play football I think that was another thing about obviously why I quit during Covid there was no crowds there was no atmosphere I didn’t I didn’t enjoy playing but yeah now the crowds are back I think they’ll make a huge difference
Interviewer: Are you the sort of player who thrives off the positive advice from the crowd
Marcus: Positive and negative, I enjoy playing away I enjoy being heckled I enjoy playing at home and I enjoy being loved it’s everything that’s just the whole atmosphere about football
Fans reacted as Darlington seal a surprise signing of the ex-Gateshead, Peterborough, Hull, Charlton, Bolton player…
@itsjamielauder: Cracking player that π
@paulsoda36: On paper , very very decent signing
@dickol1976: Hope it works out for him and the club. Too good to be at this level if he can get his head back into the game fully.
@LynnoJay: I love this club π
@ChrisLupton220: What a signing that is
@airey87: Quality signing, hope his mentality is right π everyone deserves a chance to go again π€
@JamieSAFC_: What a signing holy shit
@darlo_will: Class ππΌπ
@PJ_DFC: Oh wow π great signing, welcome aboard Marcus! β«οΈβͺοΈ
@pturnbull8: Wow, what a signing this is, the most talented Iβve come across!!! ππππ
@MrLilWes: Brilliant. Glad he has got back into football. All the best Marcus
@M4tthewD1x0n: If he stays motivated heβs hell of a player tbf
@EdwardS85771479: Hazel is bagging 60 goals with him playing behind
@Ruislip33: Good luck to Marcus, hadnβt had the best of times recently so hope he turns things round. (whatever some Posh fans might slag him off about now when he was on his game they all loved him)
@YoungyCK1: What a signing for Darlo that is!
@chrisdaws72: Watching his recovery on Instagram tells you all you need to know about the lad. He’s had a rough time and he’s cracked-on. Wish him every success
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